"Ziva, you finally understand me. Then I’ll stay with Yvonne these few days to help her with some check-ups. If you need anything, just call me. I won’t ignore your calls."
Before I could say anything, he turned and left the room.
As I listened to his footsteps fade further away, the dull pain in my chest turned into a twisting knife, causing a sharp ache that made it hard to breathe.
That last shred of hope in my heart was completely crushed.
I thought again of the child that had already taken shape. At the time the baby was delivered, the one person who could have saved him, the father, remained unreachable.
In the end, the baby died in front of me, suffocating to death.
At that moment, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that the pain was unbearable.
I bit down on my pale lower lip, gripping the blanket tighter and tighter.
A week later, I was discharged from the hospital and handled all the procedures by myself.
During that week, Aaron hadn’t called me once, yet Yvonne’s social media posts never stopped.
From the pile of supplements Aaron had bought for her, to the sweater he personally knitted for her baby, to every meal carefully prepared for her, these were all things I had never received.
After becoming pregnant, there were hardly any days when I had warm meals.
Aaron always made excuses, saying that the hospital was busy and there were many pregnant women to check on. But now, he could focus entirely on staying by Yvonne’s side.
The latest update was a photo of Yvonne, wearing a pearl necklace around her neck.
That was something Aaron had promised to buy for me when I first got pregnant.
It was strange, but seeing these things again, I found myself able to scroll past them without any emotion.
I dragged my exhausted body home, staring at the clothes and toys I had prepared for the baby in the bedroom. In the end, I couldn’t hold back the tears.
The baby was supposed to arrive in just three months.
The pain in my heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife, making every breath I took feel like a sharp, bitter ache.
I fell asleep on the bed, holding the baby’s little clothes.
In a daze, I didn’t know how long I had slept, but I was suddenly disturbed by a noisy commotion coming from the living room.
My head throbbed with pain and I peeked through the crack in the door to see what was happening outside.
Aaron had brought a group of classmates and friends to our house for a meal and Yvonne was there too. The two of them were sitting very close to each other at the table.
The shawl he had given me was now draped over her shoulders.
"Back in school, the two of you were so close. We all thought you two would end up together!"
The classmates teased them, their suggestive glances shifting between the two.
Yvonne blushed and shook her head.
"Stop joking around, we’ve both already married."
Aaron noticed her discomfort and furrowed his brows, speaking up to defend her. "You're all so old, how can you still joke around like this? Drink up!"
After a few rounds of drinks, several people were getting drunk. Trash and empty bottles were scattered all over the floor.
I couldn’t sleep because of the noise. Wanting them to quiet down, I suddenly heard someone ask Aaron.
"Aaron, you didn’t end up with Yvonne and now you’ve married another woman. Do you regret it?"
I held my breath, watching as Aaron’s lips moved, speaking.
"Not everything in life has to have the perfect ending. I won’t betray my wife. Right now, being by Yvonne's side as a brother is enough."
His gaze fell on Yvonne, who was asleep on the sofa and there seemed to be an endless tenderness in his eyes.
Even though I had mentally prepared myself for so long, hearing those words still pierced my heart like a sharp dagger.
What I had thought was mutual affection turned out to be nothing more than his second-choice option.
I took a deep breath and retreated back into the room.
